Marriott renews its vows with travel agents

Marriott International has unveiled its global Love Travel Agents campaign to help build knowledge among travel industry leaders and customers of the pivotal role travel agents play within the industry.

LAS VEGAS - Marriott International has unveiled its global Love Travel Agents campaign to help build knowledge among travel industry leaders and customers of the pivotal role travel agents play within the industry.

“This broad campaign will engage the entire travel industry community, strengthening the business, and encourage people to continue travelling,” said Julius Robinson, vice president of global sales intermediaries for Marriott International.

Marriott’s commitment to the travel agent community began more than 20 years ago with the creation of the industry’s first Fam-Tastic familiarisation rate programme, which now offers certified Hotel Sales Specialists rates beginning at US$44 at more than 2,900 Marriott International hotels worldwide.

Marriott was also the first company to centralise travel agent commissions, and says that it remains the only hotel company worldwide to offer a double commission guarantee for commissionable rate bookings.

“Marriott has always understood the value travel agents bring to customers during the selection and reservation process. Love Travel Agents is our way of reinforcing this commitment to our travel agent partners,” said Robinson.

The new Love Travel Agents campaign includes elements designed to help educate Marriott’s hotel sales teams on how to maximise the travel agent relationship through virtual tutorials and training sessions, town hall meetings with local travel agent partners and Marriott executives, and partnerships with internationally recognised travel agent associations.

Marriott has launched a website accessible at www.marriott.com/travelagents where the agent community and travel industry partners can download free Love Travel Agents collateral including logos for their own business needs.